A severe local storm with large hail struck yesterday in the town of Ingenio Viejo, in the province of Camagüey, between 7:45 and 7:51 PM, in an event that lasted only six minutes.
The phenomenon was documented in video by a group of weather enthusiasts and shared on social media by meteorologist Raydel Ruisanchez, who confirmed that the storm was classified as severe due to the unusually large size of the hailstones recorded.
The images clearly show the size of the hailstones that were falling over the area, prompting one voice to exclaim, "My God, what a hailstorm."
The event was not a surprise for those who were following the day's forecast.
This Friday, Ruisanchez had warned that "rain will be the main feature in Cuba," noting that there was "a possibility that some storms could become severe, bringing hail and strong gusts of wind."
The meteorologist explained that "the unstable situation is related to the presence of a trough over Cuban territory, which will significantly increase relative humidity values," with greater impact expected in areas of the interior and northern regions of central and eastern Cuba.
The satellite images of the day showed concentrated cloud cover over the central and eastern regions of the island, while the west woke up with little cloudiness.
Ingenio Viejo is a small rural locality in the municipality of Camagüey with approximately 1,000 inhabitants, made up of three neighborhoods: Batey 1, CPA Jesús Suárez Gayol, and Ingenio Viejo.
The province of Camagüey has a documented history of severe local storms with hail.
In March 2021, hailstones of over three centimeters were recorded with wind gusts exceeding 80 km/h in the capital city, and in July 2025, the municipality of Vertientes was struck with gusts of up to 112 km/h.
According to the Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy of Cuba, these storms occur when troughs in the mid and lower levels of the atmosphere promote the development of cumulonimbus clouds with high instability, resulting in hail, heavy rainfall, and gusty winds that can exceed 100 km/h.
In light of the ongoing atmospheric instability, Ruisanchez advised to "exercise caution during electrical activity and avoid traveling through flooded areas."
Filed under: